Knowledge

My biggest fear is not ‘knowing’. There are so many things I don’t know, I am not aware of. Thanks to internet, now you can google anything you need information on. There isn’t a question in your mind, which somebody else in another corner of the world hasn’t already asked and been answered.

There are so many things to know, there is no end to knowledge. As a kid, I used to hate the G.K. classes. I did not make any sense to me. The entire education system did not make any sense to me, anyway. Why on earth do we need to learn History or Geography or Sanskrit, I often wondered and asked the elders around me. General Knowledge was one subject that I hated from the bottom of my heart. Primary reason was there was no syllabus- they could ask anything, that you are ‘expected’ to know! That uncertainty of questions always irked me.

And now when I have grown up, and especially after being in the Communication industry, I have realised the importance of General Knowledge and the need to be aware. There is so much to know! To explore! And I am not talking just about- Who discovered America, kind of general knowledge. From world history to politics to art to geography, one needs to have at least a ‘working knowledge’ of everything around. And internet I think has heightened this need a lot more, coz you don’t really have an excuse for not knowing!

If I am in a party, and I don’t ‘know’ what others are talking about it puts me off instantly. I feel like a misfit. Whether I agree to what is being discussed, is a different thing altogether- but not knowing is a paranoia. Of course, there are a lot of things you get to know from others, their experiences, their opinions- and that make for good conversations.

This fear of not-being-aware is not just for general knowledge. Even in personal life, when I find out something which was clearly in front of my eyes before and I never realised, I feel confounded. I have always been the kind of person who lived in her own world. I never bothered to know what was happening around me, coz most of the times it was an ugly sight. For a very long time, I did not touch newspapers, coz I was never interested in knowing what was happening in the outside world, a world which I have no connection with, I believed. I had a very few friends and I never looked beyond that. I liked spending time with myself, than others.

And then something happened- I can’t fathom what. But it feels like my blurry vision has come in focus suddenly, like how the camera comes in focus. Everything is crystal clear now.

Well, it looks clear for now. And the sight is ugly.

P.S: This post was not meant to be like this. Looking back at this post and the earlier one- I am surprised myself. I never thought I will write any of this before I started.

P.P.S: There are so many good movies I haven't watched already! (with that realisation this post came into being :P haha)

P.P.P.S: You should watch this cartoon movie called 'Mary and Max'- it is about pen pals (they have a lot of P.Ss in their letters- was just reminded :))